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Democratic Socialist Party (Kirlawa)
History Founding The Democratic Socialist Party of Kirlawa was founded in 2587 by James Falkin, the current party leader, and Henry Carlson, the current foreign affairs critic. The two made a deal that Falkin could have the leadership if Carlson got foreign affairs and was allowed to succeed him once he stepped down. The party was a merger between a number of regional parties, including the Merkan Communist Party, known for being the first party to adopt the very mild Artcommunism, a communism for democratic states in Artania, the Nuchtmark Socialist Party, Dirguzia Worker's Socialiist Party, and a number of trade unions, including the Worker's liberation union. Falkin was the leader of the mildly succesful Dirguzia Worker's Socialist Party, and Carlson was the leader of the Merkan Communist Party. In its first election, the party won only .05% of the votes, and fared similarly in the presidential race. However, since then, the party has grown to be a force in parliament Early Days The party started out as a very radical socialist party, advancing many radical, raw policies. Very few of its proposals before the 2589 elections passed. It originally attempted to strike up a cooperation with the other socialist party in Kirlawa, the Kirlawa Democratic Labour. The KDL said they would consider the offer of cooperation, but from then on failed to respond to the offers of the DSP. James Falkin took this as a snub, and he was also shocked the liberal and un-socialist behaviour of the KDL in the assembly, where it voted down a number of socialist bills in favour of liberal alternatives. This included the banning of private health care and the formation of the KBC, as well as favouring radical religion over secularism, by voting down a DSP bill which would have banned school prayers and religious schools. From then on, the KDL, along with the DFM or Democratic Freedom Movement, became one of the main rivals of the DSP. The DSP also discovered the DFM, and found out first hand, through its behaviour in the assembly, that it was driven by greed and selfishness. In an attack ad on the DFM for the 2592 elections, James Falkin said 'These people in the DFM, they can think only of themeselves, and their needs. They ask for lower taxes, so they can have more money, and not share it with those who have nothing. They can see only themeselves, and only their happiness. They do not care if the working man can get healthcare or education, if their neighbour were out on the street, they would not bother. They are trying to create a society where we only think of ourselves, and not of Kirlawa as a whole, and not of the Kirlawan people. We cannot allow this to happen, this is not a society the people of Kirlawa want. They are better than that, they are above greed, and they have hearts!' 2589 Elections: Breakthrough The fortunes of the DSP changed dramatically in two major elections, the 2589 elections, and 2592 elections. The 2589 elections represented a significant breakthrough for the party. The theme of the 2589 elections was made up by Marcus Neillson. This succesful platform led him to also run the 2592 elections, and he has become known as a very good political strategist throughout Kirlawa. The DSP campaign for the 2589 elections was entitled 'Real Socialism for Real Kirlawans'. The party ran on an anti-clerical, statist platform, with its main issues being the impediment of religion, and the banning of private healthcare and schools. This platform resonated with a number of working Kirlawans, tired of the FFK, and looking for a new option to represent their interests. Frank Ollman, the DSP presidential canidate, won 21.17% of the vote, coming in a very respectable third place, and the party won 37 seats in the assembly. It became the primary socialist party in Nuchtmark province, where it fared very strongly, winning 17 seats. This was the start of a sustained period of growth for the DSP, and the party activists had a very high moral, with many saying that by the turn of the century, the DSP might just be the government. The troubles of the FFK certainly gave the DSP much hope. At the party convention of 2590, the party set as its goal to become the primary socialist force in parliament in the next election, and to unseat the KDL president Tom Mcdonald, by whatever means possible. This goal, as well as the goal of becoming a governing party, would soon lead to a new alliance. ' Succesful Interlude' Between the two elections, a number of positive things happened to the budding DSP. For one thing, despite a number of failed bills, one major DSP bill was passed. This was the Kirlawa First Bill, a bill which strongly resonates in the Kirlawa of today. This bill called for the abolition of the old racist immigration quotas, in favour of quotas which judged potential immigrants not on their colour and nationality, but on what they could offer to Kirlawa. Also, the old Kirlawa International Aid Agency was abolished, and replaced by the new Kirlawa Disaster Relief Agency. The government was now no longer allowed to give any aid to foreign nations unless they were going through a serious disaster. This bill's primary goal was to place the Kirlawan nation and people above all else, by ensuring that the government's foreign policy looked out solely for the interests of Kirlawans. The bill was met with humongous approval throughout Kirlawa, and the DSP's poll ratings shot up in the wake of the bill. The other major event to happen to the DSP was the beginning of talks with the MDC about possible cooperation. By the 2592 elections, the DSP and the MDC had layed out their terms, however, due to the recent nature of these talks, neither party has released the documents pertaining to these talks. All we know is that an understanding was reached in time for the 2594 elections. However, let us not get ahead of ourselves, as the next major election of the DSP was in 2592, and this election would be the last in a decade where the party actually grew. The 2592 Elections: Becoming a major force Shadow Cabinet Leader: Henry Carlson Foreign Affairs Critic: Patrick Jamison Internal Affairs Critic: Marcus De Wet Finance Critic: Jeannine Smith Defence Critic: Gordon Campbell Justic Critic: David Knolman Infrastructure and Transport Critic: Emanuel Maclean Health and Social Services Critic: Brian Holl Education and Culture Critic: Lee Daniels Science and Technology Critic: Professor Marcus Lafontaine Food and Agriculture Critic: Harold Saur Environment and Tourism Critic: Gunther Markham Trade and Industry Critic: Mark Hui